


Stay (Always)

by privateerwrites



Series: Musketeer March 2021 [10]
Category: The Musketeers (2014)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Genderqueer Character, M/M, Multi, Softness, aramis has a nightmare, it's not relevant to the plot but it is There
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:55:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29978400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/privateerwrites/pseuds/privateerwrites
Summary: Musketeer March Day 10- AramisAramis has a nightmare and xe is comforted by those who love xir. (ft Baby Louis, Porthos & Anne being Friends, and cuddles)
Relationships: Ana de Austria | Anne d'Autriche & Aramis | René d'Herblay & Louis XIV de France, Ana de Austria | Anne d'Autriche & Porthos du Vallon, Aramis | René d'Herblay/Athos | Comte de la Fère, Aramis | René d'Herblay/Porthos du Vallon, Aramis | René d'Herblay/d'Artagnan/Athos | Comte de la Fère/Porthos du Vallon
Series: Musketeer March 2021 [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2188632
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	Stay (Always)

**Author's Note:**

> Woooot!!! Day 10!! (Yes it's late,,,,, whatever.) this one is a genderfluid Aramis AU, though that doesn't really have much to do with the plot, it's just a thing.

Anne comes home from the bar quietly, her feet aching and head pounding. She toes off her shoes on the mat in front of the key rack, hangs up her coat and her keys, shrugs off her work jacket, and heads for the bathroom to shower and get the smell of work and sweat and bar off of her. 

She lets the hot water run for a long while, maybe a little longer than she should, allowing it to get through the pipes to the apartment before stepping in and enjoying the heat on her sore muscles. She doesn't take too long, mostly because at this point, she's running on autopilot until she can get into bed and sleep for about a million years. Or, you know, just four hours. She thinks she probably has at least that before Louis will be here to take their son for the weekend. If he remembers to come at all. 

She towels off her hair and heads for her room, crossing past the couch on her way. There are curious little snores coming from it, and she turns around to look for the source. Sleeping there are her best friend and son, perfectly content and calm, cuddled up to each other like they do this every night. Her heart swells, a little. 

Louis is curled up on top of Aramis' chest, his hands in little balls against xir bare skin. Xe looks so much more peaceful in sleep, she thinks. The lines of worry that seem permanently etched into xir face when xe is awake are gone when xe sleeps, and with an infant on xir, xe looks like the picture-perfect parent figure. 

Suddenly, xir face contorts into something like a wince, and Anne nearly takes Louis off xir chest right then and there, as if he is the one cause Aramis’ discomfort. 

"Thos?" Xe asks softly. "Thos? Please?" 

_Oh,_ she thinks. She pauses, contemplates her options briefly, then pulls out her phone after a moment of consideration. Anne opens her texts with Athos. He's usually awake at this time, and she feels a little less bad about texting him awake than Porthos, anyway. 

**Xe's asking for one of you**

The reply comes seconds later. 

_Is xe okay?_

**I think so? Just a bad dream.**

_I'll be right there. Please let xir sleep, though._

True to his word, Athos arrives ten minutes later, accompanied by a half-asleep Porthos. He's wearing a massive sweater and a pair of sweatpants, and Anne is a bit taken aback, just as she is every time she sees Athos dressed down this much, because while she knows that he doesn't exist in khakis and scarves perpetually, it's still a little surprising to see him out of that state. 

Porthos gives her a side-hug and kisses the top of baby Louis' head, who's currently propped against her, asleep. Aramis is, somehow, still passed out on the sofa, though xe is getting close to the stage of a bad dream where xe will wake xirself up with all the shaking xe is doing. 

Athos does whatever it is that he does that safely wakes Aramis from a nightmare that Anne has yet to figure out and, if she’s being honest with herself, probably won’t ever manage to, and xe jolts awake, suddenly sitting bolt upright on the couch, xir face drenched in sweat. 

"Hey, hey, Aramis, I'm here, it's me, you're alright, shhhhh," Athos says. His voice is never as soft as it is right now, and Anne turns away from them feeling like she’s intruding on something too private to witness, facing instead towards Porthos, handing over Louis when Porthos reaches his arms out and watching him snuggle with her son. Her heart melts just a little more, watching him hold Louis. 

Aramis' sobs reach her now. Xe cries in a manner that shatters Anne, that Porthos can't stand to watch, and she reaches out to take Louis back from Porthos. He shakes his head and walks towards her room with her, instead, and they put Louis down in his crib. 

"C'mere," Porthos says, his voice rough and disused, and Anne falls into his arms, exhausted beyond belief. "We're stayin' darling, we're here." 

On the couch, Aramis falls into xir boyfriend's arms. Athos holds onto xir for a long, long time, rubbing xir back and petting xir hair. Xe cries, hard, the echo of the nightmare still ringing in xir head, xir heart still pounding. 

"Thos," xe whimpers. "Don' leave me, Thos, please, please, please, please, I promise I'll be good I prom-" 

"Shhh, I know, love. Shhhhhh, I know. You're alright, you're okay, you're safe." 

Aramis cries until xe can't anymore, until xe is hiccupping and xe is exhausted. 

"Do you want to go to bed?" 

Aramis thinks, then nods. Athos picks xir up carefully, holding xir gently like xe might break if he isn't careful. Together, they head towards Aramis' room, across the hall from where Porthos is holding Anne together in his arms, and Athos closes the door behind them with his foot softly, so as not to make too much unnecessary noise. 

He sets Aramis down on the bed softly, lifting xir legs up and tucking them under the blankets together, fluffing xir pillows behind xir and pressing a gentle kiss to xir forehead. 

"Shirt," xe croaks out, throat raw from sobbing. Athos nods and pulls out a shirt that was once Porthos', a stretched-out, faded thing, from Aramis' drawers and gently yanks it over xir head, careful to get it on facing the right way, with xir arms in the armholes and xir head through the head hole. 

"Better?" 

Xe nods mutely. 

"Do you want me to stay?" 

Xe nods again and reaches xir arms out to Athos. He pulls his sweatshirt off and climbs in next to his partner, propping himself so that Aramis can use him as a pillow to lean against, which xe does, after a moment. 

"Thank you," Aramis says. 

"Always," Athos tells xir. "Always." 

"Forever?" 

"Forever."

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!
> 
> If Tumblr is more your thing, I'm also over there at privateerstudies!


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